Simplifying Steps to Savings with BC Hydro

As a member of the BC Hydro Alliance of Energy Professionals, Aerco is approved by BC Hydro to identify and implement energy efficient solutions for heating, ventilation, refrigeration and lighting systems in industrial and commercial facilities.

The goal of Power Smart is to reduce electrical energy consumption by BC Hydro’s customers. The rational being that the per kwH cost to BC Hydro for Power Smart is lower than the cost for them to generate more new electricity.

The Power Smart program offers funding to building owners to subsidize the installation of equipment that is more electrically efficient than the industry standards.

The program can look complex at first glance so we have broken it down into various categories to make it easier to find what is available for your project:

New construction: Large Buildings > 50,000 sq. ft.

New construction projects have two categories: large and small. Small is a building that is less than 50,000 sq. ft. and large is more than that.

(NB: If your new building is less than 50,000 sq. ft. but you will use more than the typical amount of energy, e.g. you have a server farm, your building may qualify as a large building.)

Before you start construction, you must contact BC Hydro’s New Construction Key Account Manager and arrange to have an Energy Model done of your building design.

This Energy Model will calculate the energy usage of your design including the energy savings features you have specified. It will be compared to a similar building that merely meets the building code. BC Hydro pays for 50% of the cost of the Energy Model and will pick up the other 50% if all the energy saving ideas are implemented.

BC Hydro will then offer a grant based on the potential energy savings and the cost of implementing them.

There is a lot of flexibility in this program but the key is to talk to BC Hydro and get approval before any construction starts. This requirement can add time to your development process.

Existing buildings are split up into two groups: companies that consume more than $200,000/year in electric power and those who consume less than that.

Companies that consume over $200,000 of electric power per year will have a Key Account Manager assigned to them.

BC Hydro customers that have a Key Account Manager have a great deal of flexibility in the type of projects that they can undertake. Basically any project that will save electrical power is eligible. The key is to do a BC Hydro approved energy study prior to applying for funding. Often BC Hydro will pay part or even all of the cost of the study.

It cannot be emphasized enough that the key to getting funding for these projects is to talk to your Key Account Manager prior to moving forward with the project. The wide range of potential projects makes it difficult to give general rules.

Existing buildings are split up into two groups: companies that consume more than $200,000/year in electric power and those who consume less than that.

Companies that consume over $200,000 of electric power per year will have a Key Account Manager assigned to them. Those who consume less than $200,000 can access the Power Smart Program through the Product Incentive Program (PIP).

PIP is designed for commercial and industrial businesses as well as residential strata customers applying for common area projects.

The PIP program is quite simple to use. Power Smart has designated grants available for retrofitting specific energy savings equipment. The customer must simply use approved products, installed by Power Smart Alliance partners like Aerco, and apply for the grant within 120 days of installation.

There are some other wrinkles to the Power Smart program so BC Hydro highly recommends talking to a Power Smart Alliance member like Aerco before proceeding.